David Cameron willing to publish details of Adam Werritty meetings

PM says he will look at publishing list of any meetings between ministers, Downing Street staffers and Liam Fox's friend

David Cameron said he was willing to look at publishing a full list of any meetings between Werritty (right of picture) and ministers or Downing Street staffers since the election. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA

David Cameron has said he will investigate whether Liam Fox's close friend Adam Werritty ever met officials at No 10.

The pledge came as he insisted it was for him alone to decide how to punish the defence secretary if he is found to have breached the ministerial code.

Speaking at prime minister's questions, Cameron said the code was "very clear that in the end it is for the prime minister to decide" whether members of the government keep their jobs.

He told the Commons: "I ask people to have a little patience and wait for the facts to be established."

Fox had done an "excellent job clearing up the mess left by Labour", Cameron added.

The prime minister said he was willing to look at publishing a full list of any meetings between Werritty and ministers or Downing Street staffers since the election.

Fox said he would carry on doing his job, but cancelled two public appearances including a joint press conference in Paris planned for Wednesday afternoon.

The Conservative party said it was still investigating how journalists were wrongly briefed in 2010 that Fox had been at home alone when his flat was burgled.

It has emerged that he was with another man on the night of the robbery, and that this person was not Werritty.

A Tory spokeswoman said the party official who had wrongly briefed reporters was away and the issue was being chased up. "We are still trying to get to the bottom of it," she said.

The cabinet secretary, Sir Gus O'Donnell, is still investigating the professional relationship between Werritty and Fox, including the role given to Werritty and his funding.

Fox may yet survive if it can be shown that Werritty was funded by rich rightwing Atlanticist ideologues as opposed to defence contractors or lobbyists.

Such funding would be unwise, but would suggest there was less of a conflict of interest, and that it was less likely that Werritty profited from specific inside information given to him by Fox at their numerous meetings at home and abroad.

Going to heart of the O'Donnell inquiry, the transport secretary, Philip Hammond, said: "I do think we need to understand exactly what was happening, exactly how Mr Werrity was funding his lifestyle and trips, and I'm sure that will come out in the work the cabinet secretary is doing.

"Werritty is clearly a friend of Liam Fox. He has met up with him aboard when Dr Fox was on official missions. I don't think it is right to say he travelled with him. He has travelled separately to a destination, and clearly one of the questions of legitimate public interest is how Adam Werritty's business affairs work and whether they are in any way linked to what Dr Fox does.

"Liam Fox has admitted that he has made mistakes in allowing his personal relationship to get too close to his professional duties."

He added: "We clearly need the cabinet secretary to confirm that Mr Werritty did not profit from these meetings. That is absolutely clear.

"I think the sources of his private income are not necessarily something that needs to be public. If he makes his investigation and he comes to the conclusion that there has been no impropriety, I hope the Labour party will accept that."

Gaby Bertin, Cameron's press spokeswoman, confirmed that she had worked for Atlantic Bridge, the charity established by Fox while in opposition.

She said she knew Werritty but had not worked alongside him, and had been the organisation's sole employee as the charity got off the ground.

Bertin added that the prime minister had no recollection of meeting Werritty, but could not guarantee there had not been a chance meeting at some point.

The Labour deputy leader, Harriet Harman, continued to demand that the investigation be handed to Sir Philip Mawer, the independent adviser on ministerial interests.